Brighton Theatre Royal – until 22 October 2022
Reviewed by Sue Bradley
4****
Most people either love or hate farce, finding it either absurdly funny or irritatingly predictable. But this production will certainly broaden the view of those who hold the latter view, some of whom may start laughing almost grudgingly and end up laughing very hard.
The writer, Michael Frayn, apparently conceived of this play whilst watching another of his plays from the wings and realising that what was happening backstage was at least as interesting as what the audience were seeing. Creating a play-within-a-play, or more accurately, a farce-within-a-farce, it feels like he set out to lampoon the form and whilst doing so, fell in love with it.
The play premiered in 1982 and there seems no need for this production to try and update it in any way; it simply isn’t necessary. The essential elements of British farce are all there and are, essentially, timeless – the improbable coincidences, misunderstandings, sexual innuendo and, of course, the dropped trousers. But what sets this production apart is the astounding speed of the plot and the almost miraculously synchronised entrances and exits.
The three-act play shows us a small touring repertory company; firstly in last-minute rehearsal, where we see them stumbling through their lines and missing their cues but all at breakneck speed. The second act brings us to somewhere in the middle of the tour; this time we see the production from backstage. Chaos reigns supreme as the characters, either deliberately or accidentally, sabotage each other’s lives and performances. In the final act, we are seeing the performance from the front again, this time at the end of the tour, where the accidents and mishaps just keep on coming and the cast-within-a-cast must adapt, with genuinely hilarious results.
With a cast of this calibre, it seems almost inappropriate to single out any individual for special mention and there simply isn’t enough room in this review to give due attention and find the right superlatives for each actor. Felicity Kendal’s Dotty is, well, engagingly dotty, Tracy-Ann Oberman’s Belinda is wonderfully blousy. Garry is perhaps the most spectacular character – starting out as a deeply shallow actor he rapidly becomes more and more frazzled as the personal and professional sides of his life become more and more complicated and Joseph Millson, as Garry, displays a fine talent for physical comedy – watch out for his fall down the stairs!
Farce is usually not going to give you the insights into the human condition that great theatre sometimes can. But reflecting more on this production, the dazzling script, the great ensemble playing, the clever set design and stage management, the sheer attention to detail and last, but not least, the skill of all the performers makes us realise that, in the right hands, Farce can be very, very funny.
I had a wonderful evening and was genuinely delighted to add my voice to the audience’s roar of approval.
This is Great Theatre.